GETAWAY has to be one of the most brainless movies I’ve come across. There is no wit or style involved. It is just endless car chases that are not distinguishable from each other. This film honestly gave me a headache at times.
Ethan Hawke is the star of this misfire. He plays Brent Magna, a former professional car driver thrown into a difficult situation. He comes home to find that his wife (Rebecca Budig) has been kidnapped. Director Courtney Solomon goes back to the kidnapping again and again. Maybe we are supposed to see how violent that act is or get more clues on what is going on. I thought it was overkill and it didn’t serve any purpose other than to pad the time.
Brent soon gets a call from a mysterious voice. The voice is instantly recognizable as that of Jon Voight. I couldn’t quite surmise what accent he was trying to do. It was meant to be ominous and threatening, but sounded a bit goofy. The Voice tells Brent that he has to be complete some tasks before he gets his wife back. Any failure on his part and she will be killed.
Brent’s first task is to steal a car that The Voice says he should know once he spots it. That’s quite a risk by The Voice that Brent picks the right car in a crowded parking structure. But I digress. The car swiped is a Shelby Mustang. This is the most impressive thing on the screen. It truly is a nice looking car. The car is outfitted with cameras and microphones. The Voice has to see what Brent is doing at all times to complete his evil mission. The action is set in Sofia, Bulgaria. A quick check and filming was indeed done there. I would guess that there are budgetary concerns with this choice.
The nausea begins after the theft of the car. The Voice forces Brent to drive all around Sofia and evade the police. This causes him to go through crowed parks, sidewalks, alleys, market places and wherever else mayhem can be explored. It is a pointless exercise showing only how good the stunt drivers are. One question kept popping in my head throughout this ordeal. What if Brent got caught by the police? What then for The Voice? Did he have a backup plan on how he is going to pull off his scheme?
Along the way Brent picks up The Kid (Selena Gomez) as a passenger. So yes we have The Voice and now The Kid. How clever. The car that Brent stole is in fact hers. She gets caught up in all this because her father is CEO of an investment bank and The Voice has plans to steal a lot of money.
The screenplay by Gregg Maxwell Parker and Sean Finegan provides little back story to the participants. We are given no reason to care whatsoever on what happens to anyone. Hawke has a Batman-like voice that he uses. It is a bit gravelly and gruff. Gomez looks good, but this film is not a shining example of her acting talent. Voight has the cushiest job. He just barks out orders in a comfortable chair. Paychecks cannot be any easier than that.
Solomon and Cinematographer Yaron Levy believe numerous car chases, destruction on a mass proportion and showing the police fail time and time again equals excitement. It doesn’t. This is pure filmmaking laziness where you expect young folks with short attention spans to be riveted by all of this. It’s insulting the intelligence of the viewer.
The grand plan by The Voice is ridiculous to say the least. Too many pieces have to fall exactly in place for it to work. I don’t mind action films being silly as long as it is fun to watch. GETAWAY is never fun. It is exhausting to go through and experience. The ending could even set up a sequel. Now that’s a scary thought.
Video: 1080p High Definition 16×9 2.4:1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1
There are 5 small features. Each of them is under a minute and a half. Some of the same quotes are used in multiple features.
Behind the Scenes: Crash Cams (1:12): The director fills us in on the multiple cameras that are used.
Behind the Scenes: Destroying A Custom Shelby (1:06): The car was built specifically for the film.
Behind the Scenes: Metal and Asphalt (1:09): The stunts were all real. No CGI was used.
Behinds the Scenes: Selena Gomez: On Set (1:19): This could have been a neat feature. Instead it is just the filmmakers and Hawke gushing about working with Gomez.
Behind the Scenes: The Train Station: (1:03): Short explanation on the train station set piece.
